The School of Dental Science comprises some 28 full-time, 60 part-time, academic staff, 11 research students. Dental Science is based in, and closely linked with, the Dublin Dental Hospital. The Hospital completed a programme of extensive refurbishment and expansion in 1998 with the addition of a state-of-the-art research laboratory in 2004.
It is currently expanding its research, postgraduate and office facilities. It has modern clinical facilities and a wide-ranging programme of dental education at postgraduate level, as well as an innovative programme of continuing education for dental practitioners.
There is an active research output in all divisions: Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology; Public and Child Dental Health; Restorative Dentistry and Periodontology. In recent years, focus has been increasingly on infections associated with HIV and AIDS patients, on fungal diseases, salivary disorders, oral cancer and biofilms - sources of infection in dental water lines, and dental implants.
Recently, the staff have developed a collaborative interest in the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering (T.C.B.E.). The staff have also initiated a very strong educational development and research base in collaboration with dental schools in European countries and the USA. Recent senior appointments in Restorative Dentistry, Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery and Special Care Dentistry are expected to increase research output and training in these areas.